The formation of corydaline and related alkaloids in Corydalis cava in vivo and in vitro

Kein Inhaltsverz

Managing arthralgia in a postmenopausal woman taking an aromatase inhibitor for hormonesensitive early breast cancer: a case study

Jane Bryce1, Martina Bauer2, Peyman Hadji21National Cancer Institute, Naples, Italy; 2Philipps University of Marburg, Marburg, GermanyBackground: In order to reduce the risk of recurrence, adjuvant treatment with an aromatase inhibitor (AI) is recommended for postmenopausal women following surgery for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. AIs are associated with improved disease-free survival compared with tamoxifen. The adverse events associated with AIs resemble those of menopause, such as bone density loss and musculoskeletal symptoms.Purpose: We examine the case of a postmenopausal woman who was prescribed anastrozole, a nonsteroidal AI, as adjuvant therapy following surgery for estrogen and progesterone receptor-positive (ER and PgR+) breast cancer.Methods and sample: A 58-year-old postmenopausal woman diagnosed with ER and PgR+ breast cancer was prescribed anastrozole as adjuvant therapy following a right-inferior quadrantectomy. After experiencing joint pain and stiffness, she was prescribed paracetamol and a topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. She was also counseled on nonpharmacological interventions. However, she continued to experience symptoms, and reported that she was not taking anastrozole regularly.Results: The case study patient ultimately found relief by switching to letrozole, another aromatase inhibitor. This approach is supported by recent studies examining the benefits of switching strategies between aromatase inhibitors in order to relieve symptoms of arthralgia/myalgia.Conclusions: Both adherence and strategies for managing aromatase inhibitor-associated arthralgia are key to deriving maximal clinical benefit from AI therapy. Switching from one aromatase inhibitor to another may provide a viable option in managing adverse events and enhancing adherence to medication.Keywords: adherence, anastrozole, aromatase inhibitor, arthralgia, breast cancer, letrozol

Personality Characteristics Determine Health-Related Quality of Life as an Outcome Indicator of Geriatric Inpatient Rehabilitation

Background. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationships between personality and quality of life during the course of geriatric rehabilitation, against the background of Cloninger's biosocial theory of personality. Methods. All consecutive patients of a geriatric rehabilitation clinic during one year were evaluated at admission and discharge (N = 687) by means of the ‘‘Vienna List’’ (a newly developed questionnaire for the assessment of quality of life in patients with severe dementia), and two variants of the Temperament and Character Inventory. Results. Self-directedness showed the most general and highest impact on quality of life and successful rehabilitation. Conclusions. It is probable in old and very old individuals who are on their highest level of maturity that the character represents the most important regulatory system in the encounter with challenges of daily life, which necessitates rehabilitation

Conflicts in Interreligious Education

Whenever people from different cultural and religious backgrounds converge, it produces tension and ambivalence. This study delves into conflicts in interreligious educational processes in both theory and practice, presenting the results of empirical research conducted at schools and universities and formulating ground-breaking practical perspectives for interreligious collaboration in various religious-pedagogical settings

Split-Brain - Sprachdefizite als Folge callosaler Diskonnektion

In der vorliegenden Diplomarbeit „Split-Brain – Sprachdefizite als Folge callosaler Diskonnektion“ wird ein Einblick in die komplexe Struktur des Corpus Callosums und seine Relevanz für verbale und schriftliche Kommunikation gegeben. Das Corpus Callosum ist die Hauptverbindung zwischen linker und rechter Hemisphäre und ermöglicht uns, gesprochene sowie geschriebene Sprache zu produzieren und sinngemäß zu verstehen. In dieser Arbeit soll gezeigt werden, dass durch eine Trennung dieser Verbindung (Callosotomie, Split-Brain Operation) unsere Kommunikationsfähigkeit enorm eingeschränkt wird. Anhand zahlreicher Studien mit Split-Brain Patienten werden alle sprachlichen Defizite, die nach einer Callosotomie auftreten (Alexie, Agraphie, etc.) sowie Auffälligkeiten in der Prosodie, Syntax und Semantik erläutert. Weiters werden die Defizite von links-dominanten Split-Brain Patienten jenen von rechts-dominanten Patienten gegenübergestellt und auf die Sprachreorganisation genauer eingegangen. (graphische Darstellungen enthalten

Conflicts in Interreligious Education

Whenever people from different cultural and religious backgrounds converge, it produces tension and ambivalence. This study delves into conflicts in interreligious educational processes in both theory and practice, presenting the results of empirical research conducted at schools and universities and formulating ground-breaking practical perspectives for interreligious collaboration in various religious-pedagogical settings

Uma análise da eficiência e da competição na captação de passageiros do Aeroporto Internacional Hercílio Luz

TCC (graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Centro Sócio-Econômico. Relações Internacionais.Avaliar o processo de regulação do setor aéreo é peça fundamental para compreender como esse setor está inserido no contexto de desenvolvimento para uma região. Ainda, o objetivo do estudo é relacionar a intensidade da competição entre aeroportos, incentivada a partir do processo de concessão dos aeroportos brasileiros, com indicadores de eficiência econômica e técnica de aeroportos. O Aeroporto Internacional Hercílio Luz adotado como estudo de caso, está localizado em Florianópolis, capital do estado de Santa Catarina, e tem como principal aeroporto concorrente, com base em uma matriz de origem-destino, o Aeroporto Internacional de Navegantes. A competição aeroportuária pôde ser discutida a partir da análise dos seus níveis de eficiência econômica e técnica, obtidos através da aplicação do método AHP, demonstrando que a qualidade de serviço é um dos fatores mais relevantes. Nesse sentido, o estudo constatou que o Aeroporto Internacional Hercílio Luz apresenta vantagem em comparação aos outros cinco aeroportos considerados no estudo. Ainda, o aeroporto de Florianópolis também apresentou melhores índices de eficiência em dois dos três índices de receitas observados, o que reflete os investimentos recentes em infraestrutura aeroviáriaAssessing the regulation process of the air transport sector is fundamental to understand how this sector is inserted in the development context for a region. Still, the objective of the study is to relate the intensity of competition between airports, encouraged by the concession process of Brazilian airport, with indicators of economic and technical efficiency of airports. The Hercílio Luz International Airport adopted as a case study, is located in Florianópolis, capital of the state of Santa Catarina, and has its main competitor airport, based on a source-destination matrix, Navegantes International Airport. Airport competition could be discussed based on the analysis of its levels of economic and technical efficiency, obtained through the application of the AHP method, demonstrating that the service quality is one of the most relevant factors. In this sense, the study found that the Hercílio Luz International Airport has an advantage in comparison to the other five airports considered in the study. Still, Florianópolis airport also showed better efficiency rates in two of the three revenue rates observed, which reflects the recent investments in aviation infrastructure

Activin and TGFβ use diverging mitogenic signaling in advanced colon cancer.

BackgroundUnderstanding cell signaling pathways that contribute to metastatic colon cancer is critical to risk stratification in the era of personalized therapeutics. Here, we dissect the unique involvement of mitogenic pathways in a TGFβ or activin-induced metastatic phenotype of colon cancer.MethodMitogenic signaling/growth factor receptor status and p21 localization were correlated in primary colon cancers and intestinal tumors from either AOM/DSS treated ACVR2A (activin receptor 2) -/- or wild type mice. Colon cancer cell lines (+/- SMAD4) were interrogated for ligand-induced PI3K and MEK/ERK pathway activation and downstream protein/phospho-isoform expression/association after knockdown and pharmacologic inhibition of pathway members. EMT was assessed using epithelial/mesenchymal markers and migration assays.ResultsIn primary colon cancers, loss of nuclear p21 correlated with upstream activation of activin/PI3K while nuclear p21 expression was associated with TGFβ/MEK/ERK pathway activation. Activin, but not TGFβ, led to PI3K activation via interaction of ACVR1B and p85 independent of SMAD4, resulting in p21 downregulation. In contrast, TGFβ increased p21 via MEK/ERK pathway through a SMAD4-dependent mechanism. While activin induced EMT via PI3K, TGFβ induced EMT via MEK/ERK activation. In vivo, loss of ACVR2A resulted in loss of pAkt, consistent with activin-dependent PI3K signaling.ConclusionAlthough activin and TGFβ share growth suppressive SMAD signaling in colon cancer, they diverge in their SMAD4-independent pro-migratory signaling utilizing distinct mitogenic signaling pathways that affect EMT. p21 localization in colon cancer may determine a dominant activin versus TGFβ ligand signaling phenotype warranting further validation as a therapeutic biomarker prior to targeting TGFβ family receptors

Pressure-dependent performance of CEN-specified Condensation Particle Counters

One of the most important parameters to quantify an aerosol is the particle number concentration. Condensation Particle Counters (CPCs) are commonly used to measure the aerosol number concentration in the nanometer range. To compare the data from different measurement stations and campaigns it is important to harmonize the instrument specifications, which is why the Technical Specification CEN/TS 16976:2016 was introduced for CPCs. There, the parameters of the CEN-CPC are specified for standard pressure and temperature. However, CEN-CPCs are used in various surroundings, on high mountains or on airplanes, where they are exposed to low-pressure conditions. Here, we present the pressure-dependent performance (including the concentration linearity and counting efficiency) of two different models of CEN-CPCs, the Grimm 5410 CEN and the TSI 3772-CEN. We found that their performance at 1000 hPa and 750 hPa was in accordance with the CEN-technical-specifications. Below 500 hPa, the performance decreased for both CPC-models, but the decrease was different for the two models. To gain insight into the performance of the two CPC-models, we performed a simulation study. This study included simulations of the saturation profiles and calculations of internal particle losses within the CPCs. The simulations reproduced the overall performance decrease with decreasing pressure and reveal that the internal structure of the CPC has a significant influence on the performance. We anticipate our publication to provide a deeper understanding of the counting efficiency of CPCs and their pressure dependence. Our findings might be a starting point for new standards that include the pressure-dependent performance or they could help for designing new CPCs.</p

Overlapping activator sequences determined for two oppositely oriented promoters in halophilic Archaea

Transcription of the genomic region involved in gas vesicle formation in Halobacterium salinarum (p-vac) and Haloferax mediterranei (mc-vac) is driven by two divergent promoters, PA and PD, separated by only 35 nt. Both promoters are activated by the transcription activator GvpE which in the case of PmcA requires a 20-nt sequence (UAS) consisting of two conserved 8-nt sequence portions located upstream of BRE. Here, we determined the two UAS elements in the promoter region of p-vac by scanning mutageneses using constructs containing PpD (without PpA) fused to the bgaH reporter gene encoding an enzyme with β-galactosidase activity, or the dual reporter construct pApD with PpD fused to bgaH and PpA to an altered version of gvpA. The two UAS elements found exhibited a similar extension and distance to BRE as previously determined for the UAS in PmcA. Their distal 8-nt portions almost completely overlapped in the centre of PpD–PpA, and mutations in this region negatively affected the GvpE-mediated activation of both promoters. Any alteration of the distance between BRE and UAS resulted in the loss of the GvpE activation, as did a complete substitution of the proximal 8-nt portion, underlining that a close location of UAS and BRE was very important